CNN -
March 8, 2021
Various children's hospitals around the country have reported seeing a higher number of cases these past few months, even though MIS-C is considered rare. In an update released Friday, the CDC said there have been 2,617 MIS-C cases in the United States before March 1, and 33 children have died. That's up from early February, when 2,060 cases and 30 deaths had been reported.
STAT -
March 8, 2021
The FDA on Friday issued an emergency authorization for a new test to detect Covid-19 infections — one that stands apart from the hundreds already authorized. Unlike tests that detect bits of SARS-CoV-2 or antibodies to it, the new test, called T-Detect COVID, looks for signals of past infections in the body’s adaptive immune system — in particular, the T cells that help the body remember what its viral enemies look like.
Gallup -
March 8, 2021
One year after the COVID-19 pandemic took hold of the U.S., Americans have become markedly more upbeat in their views of the trajectory of the situation … For the first time in Gallup's trend, a majority of Americans (60%) perceive the coronavirus situation in the U.S. as getting better, while 26% say it is staying the same and 14% believe it is getting worse. This record-high optimism likely reflects the steep decline in new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. in late January and early February.
Reuters -
March 8, 2021
With cities and states loosening restrictions as new COVID-19 cases recede and the rollout of vaccines accelerates, people are enjoying a taste of their old lives again. Over the past weekend, New Yorkers watched movies on the big screen, San Franciscans dined indoors, and baseball fans cheered on their favorite big-league players as spring train.
Fox News -
March 8, 2021
Health experts have urged Americans to remain vigilant as some states start to roll back coronavirus restrictions and others see a rise in visitors due to spring break. Several variants of the COVID-19 virus have been identified across the US, including a new variant in New York – which Dr. Anthony Fauci said is spreading "efficiently" through the state – in addition to the already-documented South Africa and UK variants.
CNN -
March 8, 2021
Some Americans are ditching personal responsibility and forgoing masks, even though the highly contagious B.1.1.7 variant has spread to at least 46 states and Washington, DC. "That strain is increasing exponentially. It's spiking up," said Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious diseases specialist and epidemiologist. "So we are probably right now on a tipping point of another surge."
Yahoo! Finance -
March 5, 2021
The U.S. economy added back more jobs in February than in January, as easing COVID-19 case counts and a ramping vaccine rollout allowed distancing restrictions to begin to moderate. … The February jobs report comes on the heels of back-to-back disappointments in each of the January and December reports. … Overall, the U.S. economy remains about 9.9 million payrolls short of its pre-pandemic levels.
AP -
March 5, 2021
The Senate steered on Friday toward a voting marathon on Democrats’ $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill … The chamber planned to begin voting around midday on a mountain of amendments, mostly by GOP opponents and virtually all of which were destined to be rejected. That would set the Senate on course toward approving its reworked version of the massive measure, probably over the weekend, and shipping it back to the House so it could whisk the final package to Biden for his signature.
AP -
March 5, 2021
Heart inflammation is uncommon in pro athletes who’ve had mostly mild COVID-19 and most don’t need to be sidelined, a study conducted by major professional sports leagues suggests. The results are not definitive, outside experts say, and more independent research is needed. …The research involved professional athletes in the U.S. and Canada who play in major league football, hockey, soccer, baseball and men’s and women’s basketball. All tested positive for COVID-19 before October and were given guideline-recommended heart tests, nearly 800 total.
CNN -
March 5, 2021
The US shouldn't ease restrictions in place to prevent Covid-19 before the number of new coronavirus cases falls below 10,000 daily, "and maybe even considerably less than that," Dr. Anthony Fauci said Thursday. The US should pull restrictions gradually, after a substantial portion of Americans are vaccinated, Fauci told CNN's Jake Tapper. The last time the US saw fewer than 10,000 new daily cases was almost a year ago, on March 22, 2020.
Chicago Tribune -
March 5, 2021
Pandemic lockdowns and stay-at-home orders kept many drivers off U.S. roads and highways last year. But those who did venture out found open lanes that only invited reckless driving, leading to a sharp increase in traffic-crash deaths across the country. The nonprofit National Safety Council estimates in a report issued Thursday that 42,060 people died in vehicle crashes in 2020, an 8% increase over 2019 and the first jump in four years. Plus, the fatality rate per 100 million miles driven spiked 24%, the largest annual percentage increase since the council began collecting data in 1923.
NPR -
March 5, 2021
62% of parents say their child's education has been disrupted. And, more than 4 out of 5 would like to see schools provide targeted extra services to help their kids catch up. … As other polls have found, Black and Hispanic parents were far more likely than white parents to say their children were all-remote — 65% for Black parents, 57% for Hispanic parents, and 38% for white parents.